Cooking: How to Pan fry a steak without all the smoke?

Hi People,
I really like cooking stakes on a girdle at home (sorry I live on the 3rd floor so no outdoor grill for me). I make them very well and they are succulent, etc.

However, nearly every time I cook one the b******y fire alarm goes off - they are not burnt, they come out delicious media-rare - but it does make quite a bit of smoke.

My instructions for cooking steaks are as follows:
use no oil, use throngs to put the meat, cook one side for as long as needed and then turn once to the other side, for the same amount of time. Basically prod it as little as possible. I also add some fresh thyme on top.

The results are really amazing - but the fire alarms are impossible too

If your smoke detector is hardwired, it's very hard to disconnect (and probably illegal). Tie a baggie tightly over it, maybe sealing it to the detector base with painter's tape or regular scotch tape.. When our new furnace-A/C was installed, they soldered a bunch of copper pipes with a torch literally right under the detector, and the baggie worked fine.

As everyone before me stated, it really is impossible to cook a steak properly without producing a good amount of smoke. Your pan needs to be really hot to get that good sear that makes steak so tasty. Sure you could use a lower temp, but then your steak won't crust up properly giving you that wonderful flavor.

1. Heat a heavy cast-iron pan till its really hot.
2. S&P your steak (like a filet mignon) and let it brown on one side for 3 minutes (for a thick steak like filet mignon)
3. With hot pan holders, grab the handle of the cast iron skillet and give it a healthy shake. If the meat breaks free, turn it over and put it back on the fire (the pan and steak that is) for 3 more minutes.
4. IN the meantime, heat your oven up to 450F.
5. After a total of 6 minutes (3 minutes on each side) put the whole pan in the oven for about 6-8 minutes more for medium rare. The oven should cut down on the total amount of smoke you're generating.

This technique will result in a steak house quality steak. I've used it for years without a problem with smoke.

Get a oil spatter screen that will cover the frying pan/grill pan entirely. The screen, aside from cutting down on oil spatter mess, will totally cut down on the amount of smoke that is brought into the air. Another benefit, it keeps some extra heat in the pan so that the meat cooks through in less time but not like a solid cover that would cause the meat to steam.

You can also put a pan cover on top of the screen to cut down more smoke and increase the smoke on the meat, while still allowing necessary air flow.